Rodrigo Russo is a Principal in the Global Risk Analysis and Business Intelligence practices of Control Risks in Brazil, focusing on ESG, business intelligence, political risks, and due diligence. Rodrigo leads the research and analysis team in a wide range of investigative and consulting projects in South America for multinationals, local companies and law firms.
Recent tasks that Rodrigo has worked on include:
A pre-investment ESG and compliance due diligence: Control Risks supported a large pension fund in the context of a pre-transaction due diligence in the energy sector in Brazil. We worked as advisors alongside a local law firm and the deals team of a major investment bank. The client approached Control Risks asking for reputational due diligence support and ESG-targeted research based on predefined requirements developed by its internal compliance and ESG teams. In order to consolidate the research scope, Control Risks combined these requirements with its own in-house expertise and industry standards, notably the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board’s Materiality Map and the World Bank Group’s Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines for Energy. This resulted in a customised approach for the specific assets, including on- the- ground visits to the regions of interest to better assess ESG risks.
A pre-investment stakeholder mapping exercise: Control Risks supported a group of institutional investors considering an investment in a state-controlled company in Brazil. Based on thorough public records research and discreet source enquiries, our team was able to inform our clients of the disposition of important stakeholders vis-à-vis the privatisation process, including high-level politicians and members of regulatory agencies. This allowed the investors to map the challenges that the private investment could face and to leverage the disposition of certain agents regarding making the process a successful one.
Prior to joining Control Risks, Rodrigo served as a Brazil-based senior correspondent for a global newswire, where his reporting focused on antitrust, corruption and data protection regulation and enforcement. Rodrigo worked as a journalist for almost a decade at Folha de S. Paulo, one of Brazil’s most widely read newspapers, where he was a correspondent based in Europe and an opinions editor. Rodrigo began his professional career as an intern at a top-tier Brazilian law firm.
Rodrigo holds a Master of Science in political sociology from the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he was awarded a Chevening Scholarship. Rodrigo also holds a law degree from Universidade de São Paulo and a journalism degree from Faculdade Cásper Líbero. He is a native Portuguese speaker, speaks fluent English and has a working knowledge of Spanish and French.
